Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on government to support the private sector to do more, indicating that without them it would be extremely difficult for any meaningful development to be achieved.

He said without the private sector, no government could be able to develop a country, particularly in the area of employment creation.

Consequently, he urged the Akufo-Addo administration to encourage private companies like Jospong Group to more in helping to alleviate poverty in the country.

“…saying this is not endorsing any private company to take undue profit. No, that we won’t endorse, but then our government is like the proverbial mother. When the child eases itself on your laps, you don’t cut the lap off, you only clean it and mould the child to do better and with that then you move ahead,” he stressed.

Former President Kufuor made the statement when he joined management and workers of Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) to mark this year’s annual praise and thanksgiving service in Accra last week Friday.

The event, which is held December every year, brought together staff and management of the company to thank God and appreciate His goodness for successes chalked by the entities under the Group.

The praise and thanksgiving service, which came off at the forecourt of the Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL) headquarters at Adjiringano in Accra, had representatives of other companies, including state officials.

Jospong Group of Companies used this year’s event to honour former President Kufuor whose 79th birthday fell on Friday, December 08, 2017. And to celebrate the day with him, Group Chair, Joseph Siaw Agyapong, presented a citation to Mr Kufuor for dedicating his life to the service of Ghana.

According to former President Kufuor, companies that were in businesses ought to be supported instead of people focusing on the profits they made, adding that “Although it is not the right thing for companies to make unreasonable profits, we should not raise issues when some are doing so well because they end up paying taxes.”

He said multinational companies in Korea and the United States, for instance, were able to get to that peak because they had the backing of the government and the people.

“We should do same for our own private businesses,” former President Kufuor charged.

He pointed out that without the support of government, the private sector may encounter difficulties in their bid to help grow the economy.

In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Jospong Group of Companies, Mr Joseph Siaw Agyapong, applauded former President Agyekum Kufuor for the various roles he played during the early years of the company.

He said the former president’s motivation and the support he gave him when he started the flagship company of Jospong Group of Company—Zoomlion Ghana Limited— in 2006, was what pushed him to pursue the agenda of helping address some of the development challenges of the country.

“Apart from showing gratitude to God, I personally thank former President Kufuor who did not know me from anywhere but called me and encouraged me during the early years of Zoomlion. It was his words that motivated me to do things I never thought I could do,” Dr Agyapong said.

After lauding former President Kufuor for his support to the company, Dr Agyapong also commended the staff and workers of Jospong Group of Companies for their dedication and commitment towards the company.

He said all the achievement of the company was as a result of the sacrifices the workers made during the early years of the company.

Acknowledging the successes the company had chalked, Dr Agyapong talked about some of the challenges that the company had gone through, particularly this year.

He said although a lot of attacks were being launched against the company, they would not materialise because “the company is rooted in the principles of God.”

“I would have worried if God was not part of the company from day one but once we know this company has the backing of God no stone thrown against the company will stand,” Mr Agyapong said.

For his part, the International Missions Director (IMD) of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo, urged the public to show gratitude to God regardless of the challenges they encounter in their daily lives.